Method of treating refuse and making building materials therefrom



2, 1936- M. M. UPSON I 2,040,416 METHOD OF TREATING REFUSE AND MAKING BUILDING MATERIALS THEREFROM Original Filed Aug. 19, 1930 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 METHOD OF TREATING REFUSE AND MAKING BUILDING MATERIALS THEREFROM Original Filed Aug 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 0 NVENTOR- 2 2 will fful 1* ATTORNEYQ May 12, 1936. M. M. UPSON 2,040,416 METHOD OF TREATING REFU SE AND MAKING BUILDING MATERIALS THEREFROM Original Filed Aug. 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 v. yEYENIZUFL-M BY M #120! l ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES METHOD OF TREATING REFUSE AND MAK- ING BUILDING MATERIALS THEREFROM Maxwell M. Upson,

Englewood, N. J.

Original application August 19, 1930, Serial No. 476,322. Divided and this application May 1,

1933, Serial No. 668,786

7 Claims. (01. -8)

At the present time processes and methods are in use wherein ash refuse is converted into a concrete aggregate. A method and apparatus for making such aggregate from refuse is set forth in the application of Edward B. Corbet, Serial No. 426,290, filed February 6, 1930, to which reference may be made for a fuller description to the process of making aggregates from refuse by a sintering operation.

In brief the process comprises the sintering of the ash refuse to burn out the combustible and to consolidate the non-combustible constituents by sintering into the desired aggregate.

In carrying out the foregoing aggregate making process, conditions sometimes arise where the primary ingredients, that is the coal ash refuse, as received by the plant, comprise a considerable content of refuse which is of a bulky nature. Such bulky refuse may comprise paper cartons, boxes, barrels, bottles, lumber and other foreign material. Such material is so bulky inits'nature that it does not readily lend itself to sintering treatment in the aggregate making plant above mentioned. Some of such bulky refuse may be combustible, other parts may burn with difficulty or be wet and other materials may be of noncombustible nature but which may be reduced in bulk by the application of high temperatures. Accordingly, it has heretofore been the practice to remove these bulky constituents from the coal ash refuse and to separately disposeof them and to only utilize ash refuse itself in the 'process of making aggregates.

In other cases, large quantities of-garbagerequire disposal and heretofore such garbage disposal has been carried out separatelyfrom the process of making aggregates. V

In the process of making aggregates from coal ash refuse, it has been the practice heretofore after separating out and separately disposing of the bulky refuse materials, to screen out the fine ash particles from the coarse ash'partifoles and to thereafter crush the coarse ash particles and subsequently recombine these crushed ash par ticles with the fine ash particles and subject the mixture to the sintering operation. 'In practice it has been found that the combustible content in the coal ash refuse is found principally in the coarse ash particles and the reason for crushing the coarse ash particles separately is-to render available the containedcombustible. Then by the recombining step this contained combustible ismoreuniformly disseminated in the fine ash and other non-combustibleparticles which are to be 'sintered.

In the practice of making aggregates from ordinary ash refuse, it has been found that the coarse ash particles usually contain more combustible than is needed for the sintering process and for the making of the aggregate. Accordingly, heretofore this excess. combustible is merely burned up and accordingly the heat of combustion of such combustible is in part wasted.

According to the present invention, provision is made for utilizing a part of the combustible content of the ash refuse or of the incinerator ash produced by the process for the preliminary treatment of the bulky constituents above mentioned or of garbage so that these bulky constitu-' ents or garbage may be burned and consumed in whole or in part and so that the bulk of the material may be reduced so that subsequently. the ash refuse from the bulky constituents or from V the garbage (which material will hereinafter be termed incinerator ash) may be utilized with the other ash refuse in the making of the ag gregate by sintering operations. In this way-the expense of separate disposal of the bulky constituents in the aggregate making plant is obviated and .all of the received crude refuse ma- '5 terials with the exception of objectionable tramp iron, may be utilized in the making of the aggregate. v

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of novel methods for treating refuse including rubbish of various sorts to the general end that substantially all of the refuse may be utilized in the making of other aggregates and lightweight building material.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a new method of treating refuse to prepare'the same for subsequent sinter ing operations in which the refuse is converted by sintering and other steps into a desired page gregate or light weight building material.

'A further object of the present invention re sides in the provision of a method of incinerating refuse in which incineration is carried out by action of a;pulverized fuel flame and in which the combustible for such flame is derived from the refuse material either before or after incineration. J A further object of. the present invention resides in ,the provision of a novel method and apparatus for the incineration of refuse.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accom panying specification andclaims and shown in the drawings which show somewhat diagram,-

matically certain preferred embodiments of ap- 5 7 veyors I08F are carried tothe fine ash supply bin paratus adapted for use in carrying out the methods which form the subject matter of the present invention.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically various units of the apparatus which are adapted for use in carrying out the method.

Fig. 2 is a view of a modified construction and the apparatus shown in this sheet is to be utilized in lieu of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 shows a view of another modification of certain parts of the apparatus." 1 V According to the method of making aggregates set forth in the aforesaid Corbet application, it was the practice to separate out the fine ash particles from the coarse ash particlesand to subsequently crush the coarse ash. In the foregoing specification such materials were termed as fine ash A and crushed ash B and it was the prac tice to store these materials in two separate bins. In Figs. 1- and 2, I8 isthe bin for the fine'ash A and 20 is the bin for the crushed ash B. A full description of the subsequent treatment of these materials will notbe herein repeated but in brief it may be stated that the materials are mixed on a conveyor belt 2 I, discharged by it to the aggregate making plant or otherwise disposed of. Full details'of the method of. making aggregates are described in my Patent No. 1,936,810 of which the present application is a division. 7 According to the present invention the preliminary steps of treating the refuse'are modified in particulars which will hereinafter be set forth and it will be understood that from bins I8 and 20 on the steps of the method are the same as fully 'set forth in the Corbt application above 'mentioned and. which have been described in Patent No.'1,936,810.' 1

Referring to Fig.v 1, the crude "refuse containing ashes and bulky rubbish is fed from a suitable hopper I00 and delivered by a feederIIII to a picker belt I02. As the picker belt advances, salable and re-claimable particles are taken from the ash and rubbish. This operation m'ayjbe car-i ried out by hand. From the picker belt I02 the rubbish and ash which have been left upon the picker belt are fed into a screening device I03. Such screening device I03 may be'of the revolv ing type or of the shaker type as. desired. 'The sc'reen'l'03 separates the received "material into the bulky refuse which passes over the screen and which is delivered to a spreader belt I04 and into the ash refuse which passesthrough the screen and which is fedon to a'second screen I05." This second screen I 05' separatesthefine' ash particles from the coarse ash particles; the latter particles as before explained containing the unburned or partially burned coalf The "fine ash particles pass through the screen- I05 and by suitable 'con I8 of the aggregate making plant; The -coarse ash particles including a considerable amount of the unburned and partially burned coal pass 'over the screen I05 and are delivered to a crusher I 06 in which they are reduced to'a fine state.

From the crusher I06 the crushed material containing, combustible can befed to a finecrusher I01 for the production of 'pulverizedfuel and.if desired a part of the production offthecrusher I06 can be diverted via I08 to the aggregate making plant,-there being delivered'to the bin 20 which contains the crushed ash B material. In the drawings; I08B indicates diagrammatically.

the conveyor which delivers diverted crushed the incinerator generally designated I09. This incinerator is of novel construction having a travelling grate IIO which carries the rubbish through two. combustion chambers having two different temperaturezones. Combustion chamber I l I is the high temperature zone and the heat in this combustion chamber is produced by a pulverized fuel burner installation with pulverized fuel burners generally designated I I2 and receiving the'pulverized fuel from the fine grinder I01.

As stated before the unburned coal is found in the crushed coarse ash which material is in part delivered to the fine grinder I01.

In chamber I I I, in the high temperature zone,"

the heat of combustion resulting from the burning of the pulverized fuel is high enough to dry out the moisture in the rubbish, char it and ignite it. Preferably air to support combustion is supplied to the incinerator I09 in a pre-heated or superheated condition in order to hasten the process of drying and igniting the rubbish. Illdiagrammatically indicates such pre-heated air supply- Leaving thehigh temperature combustion chamber I I I the rubbish now thoroughly dry and partially. burned or burning, passes into a second combustion chamber II5 wherein combustion/proceeds at a lower temperature. In

such chamber the refuse is consumed by its own.

combustible content and pre-heated air-is supplied as before as indicated by'I I4. g

The incinerator ash or burned refuse which is left after, the burning of the refuse in the incinerator I09 is delivered to belt H6 provided with a magneticseparator I I1 adapted toremove the tramp iron and. dispose of the iron waste via II8.' The incinerator ash after being separated from the tramp iron is then delivered to a screen H9. The fine incinerator ash refuse which passes through the screen H0 is delivered by conveyors I08F to the bin jI8 of the aggregate making. plant which bin contains the fine ash particles A. The coarse material which passes over screen ,III! is delivered to a crusher I20. This crusher in turn delivers this material to conveyor-108B which delivers the material to bin 20 of the aggregate making plant which bin delivers it into the incinerator I 00' which is of e I the construction previously described,- having two combustion-chambers -I I I H5; the first for'high temperature combustion which is produced by pulverized fuel burner devices I I2 and the second I chamber- I I5 for lower temperature combustion. Travelling grate I I0 is provided as before to carry the rubbish through the incinerator. After leaving the incinerator, the burned incinerator ash refuse is delivered to "belt II6 provided-with a magnetic separator III'to separate out tramp iron and iron waste at I I8. From I I! the incinerator ash is delivered-to; a screen I III. The fine ash particles passthrough this screen and are CID deliveredvia conveyor' imlF to the bin {8 7 cr me aggregate making plant, said 'bin containing-fine ash A. The oversize'dincinerator' ashpasses over fine grinder 101 which provides pulverized fuel for the pulverized fuel burner iristallati-on and for the pulverized fuel burners IIZ.

- "Ifdesired; in lieu of delivering thecrusihed material directlyfrom the crusher I 20 to the fine grinder I01, the material crushedbythe crusher I20 .may be delivered to a screen I30. The fines which pass through the screen I may be delive'r'ed via'coriveyor H183 to bin 20 which contains the fine ash particles. The oversize material passing over screen I30 which contains most of the combustible may be delivered by a suitable conveyor I3I to the fine grinder I01 and after being finely ground will be burned by the pulverized fuel burner H2.

In cases where garbage refuse is available or where other refuse is at hand which requires pre-drying before it is delivered into the incinerator, preferably the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, is employed. According to this arrangement the ash refuse is delivered as before from a hopper I00 to belt IOI, thence to picking belt I02, to spreader belt I 04 and thence into the incinerator and on to traveling grate H4. The arrangement of the incinerator is the same as heretofore described except that vent stacks are provided as indicated at I33 and I34 from the combustion chambers III and H5. Such vent stacks I33 and I34 deliver the hot gases of combustion into a drying chamber I35 through which extends a. conveyor belt I36. Garbage or relatively Wet refuse is delivered on to the belt I36 from a hopper I31 and as such garbage or other material is carried by the belt through the chamber I35 the garbage or other wet refuse is thoroughly dried out and dehydrated by the heat of hot gases which flow through the chamber I35 in a direction counter to the direction of travel of the garbage therethrough as indicated by the arrows. The hot gases leave chamber I35 at stack I38. The garbage after being thoroughly dried out on belt I36 is carried out of the drying chamber and delivered to the spreading belt I 04 where the garbage is intermixed with the ash refuse and carried into the incinerator chamber for subsequent combustion and treatment therein. After leaving the incinerator I09 the refuse is delivered by belt H4 to the magnetic separator belt II6 after which the steps are repeated as before described in connection with the description in Fig. 2. Obviously the fuel for the pulverized fuel flame can also be recovered from the ash refuse prior to its introduction in the incinerator according to the disclosure of Fig. 1.

In lieu of utilizing the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, for garbage, it will be understood that the usual ash rubbish and refuse can be submitted to the drying treatment in chamber I35 by the this *is desired. In such 'case garbageiwould delivered-from hopper "I31 'andfash refuse and rubbish' wou'ld bedeliveredfrom hopper I00w'as before described. 7 I A 'Whichever of the fvarious methods above j described isutilized includes the'step of recovering combustible material from ash refuse by classifyingand crushing operations. Such recovered solid combustible is utilized for producing the pulverized fuel flame which is introducedinto the incinerator. According to'the arrangement of Fig. 1, the'combu'stiblefor the pulverized fuel flame is secured-from the ash refuse before the bulky constituentsare intrOduCed in the incinerator. "Bythis specific processthe-bulk of "the materiafpa'ssing through the incinerator is 're fluted-inasmuch as the 'coarse ash particles and fine ash do not pass through the incinerator.

According to the process of Fig. 2, all refuse passes through the incinerator and the combustible as before is recovered from the coarser particles of the ash refuse which entered as ash and also from the materials which were reduced in bulk by'the incinerating step. As before the combustible for the pulverized fuel flame is derived from the refuse material by crushing and classifying operations.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the combustible for the pulverized fuel flame may be recovered either before or after the incinerating step and in addition a preliminary drying out step is provided for.

I claim:

1. The method of refuse disposal which comin the separated out coarse ash particles and utilizing the flames of combustion of such coarse ash particles for incinerating the bulky refuse materials and converting such material into clinker like condition with relatively reduced bulk.

' 3. The method of refuse incineration which comprises the steps of recovering combustible from the relatively larger ash particles of the refuse by screening the refuse as received to separate therefrom the larger sized ash'particles which contain predominating combustible material, and in utilizing the flames of combustion of such recovered combustible from the relatively larger ash particles for the incineration of the bulky constituents of the refuse to reduce the bulk thereof to the desired extent.

4.'The process of refuse disposal which includes the steps of deriving combustible material from the large ash particles of the refuse by separating out such large ash particles from the other refuse then crushing said particles to render thecombustible content thereof available for subsequent combustion and in burning the combustible so derived and incinerating the refuse by the aid of the flame of said burning and thereby reducing the bulk thereof to the desired extent. 7

5. The method of refuse disposal for refuse containing ash material and bulky 1 constituents including the steps of; screening the refuse as re ;ceived to separate out the larger'sized ash particles containing predominating amounts ;of combustible from the other constituents o f the refuse, then incinerating the bulky constituents of the refuse and in eifecting such incineration by the aid of the flames of burning combustible derived from the larger ash particles of the'ash material. a

' j '6. A method of reducing the bulk of'refuse material, including the steps of classifying the refuse material as received into bulky constituents, coarse ash particles and fine ashparticles,

then pulverizing the coarse ash particles to ren- .,der available the combustible content therein, and in thereafter incinerating the bulkyconstituents by the aid of a pulverizedfuel flame which utilizes the combustible obtained-by the foregoing classifying and pulverizing operations.

7. The method of refuse incineration which comprises classifying the :received; refuse .by

cash particles and incinerating the bulky constit uents of the refuse by the aid of the flame from the burning of said recovered combustiblerto reduce the bulk thereof to the desired extent.

M. m sort 

